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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27468592">tell him to go to the wine shop</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/berrone/pseuds/berrone'>berrone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Book 3: The King of Attolia (Queen's Thief), minor spoilers for return of the thief</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:41:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27468592</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/berrone/pseuds/berrone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Post KoA, Relius and Teleus have a conversation.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Relius/Teleus (Queen's Thief)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>tell him to go to the wine shop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>extra special thanks to <a href="https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/storieswelove/pseuds/storieswelove">storieswelove</a> for the beta, and also for continually hyping me up to finish and post this fic</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The light that shone from the open windows of the private quarters of the Secretary of the Archives had been dimming for quite some time when the trumpets signalling the end of bird watch blared. Relius jumped, and cursed his own carelessness. Usually he would have closed the windows before the guard change, but he had found himself getting lost in thought too often these days. </p><p>Relius had moved back into his old quarters over a week ago. He was no longer Attolia’s spymaster, but the queen had assured him he could still be useful. Thus far, this had not come to fruition. </p><p>He had entertained himself with court gossip that his acquaintances brought to him, and requested scrolls to read from the library. All of his spy-work had been confiscated after his arrest, as well as most of his possessions. It was unlikely at this point they would be returned to him. </p><p>He fumbled with his good hand to light the candle on his desk. He had no work to do, but he didn’t want to retire to his bed just yet. Perhaps he would read that Archimedes text again…</p><p>Relius sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He was glad it had not been cut while he was held prisoner in Attolia’s dungeons. A few years ago, he had cut it too short and shaggy by accident, and Teleus had spent an entire week likening him to a sheepdog. Relius chuckled to himself for a brief moment, lost in the memory of Teleus lifting a glass of wine to his already wet lips and wiggling his eyebrows at Relius. That had made something in Relius’ stomach flip over, even then. The moment had been broken when Teleus barked at him before devolving into raucous laughter at his own joke. It was a side of the stoic captain of the guard that not many were privy to. </p><p>There was a soft knock on the door. Relius, jared from his daydreaming, hurried to arrange himself in a presentable manner, smoothing down his ruffled hair. The knock was too tentative to be any of his usual visitors, and it was far too early for it to be a surprise visit from the king (as if the former Thief of Eddis would ever knock anyway). </p><p>“Enter,” he called. And then suddenly there was Teleus, standing in his doorway, as if in answer to a prayer Relius hadn’t made, holding a bottle of Attolia’s finest wine. Relius was sure he looked very stupid with his mouth hanging open, and he waited to see if Teleus would tell him so. </p><p>“The guard is going to be halved,” Teleus said. Relius nodded. He’d heard about the king’s little spectacle in the training yard that morning. The right side of Teleus’ neck was so dark it was nearly black, and Relius rubbed his own neck in sympathy. </p><p>“So you came here to get drunk?” Relius lifted his eyebrows. Teleus shrugged. </p><p>“So,” he agreed, closing the door. He pulled out a chair from the small dining table across the room from Relius and his desk. The bottle made a small thunk as Teleus set it on the ornate wood top. Teleus flopped down onto the chair, wincing as the impact caused his neck to flitter back, no doubt troubling the egregious bruise the king’s sword had left. </p><p>“You should take some time off, let that heal properly,” Relius said. Teleus snorted and reached to grab two wine cups from a side table, but Relius scolded him. “I’m serious. You could permanently damage the muscles in your neck.” </p><p>“Right, I’ll take your sage advice, oh enlightened one,” Teleus laughed mirthlessly. He poured a cup of wine and stuck it out at Relius, who had to stand and walk across the room to grab it. Relius stood in front of Teleus for a moment while Teleus poured his own cup. </p><p>“I do give sage advice,” Relius said, a bit defensive. Teleus looked up at him. Relius stared searchingly at the handsome captain’s face. </p><p>“I never said you didn’t.” His voice was cold. Teleus raised his glass and proclaimed, “long live the king.” Relius gritted his teeth at the slight against him and his recent fall from grace. Teleus took a drink of his wine with no expression at all, his eyes fixed on the wall just above Relius’ left shoulder. Relius turned and walked back to his desk. </p><p>Teleus was angry, that much was obvious. At the king? No, Relius would have heard of it earlier if that were the case. Teleus was angry, and there was only one person in the whole world he could be angry at right now, and he was sitting at his desk, feeling like an absolute ass. </p><p>“Teleus, whatever it is-” </p><p>Teleus cut him off. “You’re really not going to apologize?” </p><p>Relius’ mouth was hanging open again. “I don’t know-” </p><p>Teleus wasn’t going to let him finish. “I didn’t think you would lie to me, but here we are. Be truthful Relius, I didn’t come here to be lied to again.” Teleus breathed shakily and threw the rest of the wine in his cup down his throat. Relius felt like his own throat was closing. </p><p>Relius had assumed even if all were not forgiven, it could be forgotten as they fell back into friendship. Teleus had shown no signs of anger since his initial outburst in the throne room, when Relius had been arrested. In fact, they’d had cordial conversations for weeks now. Relius wondered at what had changed. </p><p>“I am sorry, Teleus,” he said, “I didn’t think it… meant that to you.” It was a feeble excuse, and Relius knew it. Relius wished Teleus would at least look at him.</p><p>“No, I suppose you didn’t think. That doesn’t seem to be your strong suit anymore,” Teleus said. He was looking down at his empty cup, shaking his head. He poured himself more wine with obvious irritation. Relius sat quietly, festering in Teleus’ anger. Teleus tipped another full cup into his mouth. When he finally deigned to look at Relius, it was with the same look he gave new recruits who dared to talk back to the captain before they knew any better. </p><p>“I lied because I didn’t want to hurt you, Teleus,” Relius said, hoping to give a satisfactory explanation, even if he couldn’t have forgiveness. </p><p>“I’m not talking about your affairs! I don’t care that you spend your time with courtiers and nobles. The moment you thought you had revealed sensitive information to a stranger, you should have told me.” </p><p>That threw Relius for a loop. “Oh yes, you would have been very happy to hear all the details of my new lover,” he scoffed. </p><p>“Do you want me to be jealous?” Teleus’ voice rose, “Because that’s not going to get you anywhere.” </p><p>“I betrayed Attolia, not you,” Relius said, changing course. </p><p>Teleus scoffed. “I’m the captain of the Attolian royal guard, Relius. Don’t be obtuse.” </p><p>“So that’s what this is about? You are angry that I let down my country?” Relius said incredulously. Teleus may be loyal and noble, but that still didn’t make any sense to Relius. And if he really didn’t care about Relius’ many dalliances, Relius had no idea what had upset him so much. </p><p>“I am angry because you got yourself hurt! I can’t stand by and watch your self-destructive behaviors escalate,” Teleus said. </p><p>“As if you care!” Relius threw up his hands and yelled into the now quiet room, revealing too much.</p><p>Teleus’ face broke. “How could you think I don’t care,” he murmured.</p><p>“Look at me, Teleus,” Relius gestured with his disfigured hands, but Teleus didn’t flinch. Confused, Relius clarified, “I’m a disgrace. I’m useless. The king and queen tell me I can still be important, yet they give me nothing to do.” Relius swallowed heavily against the sinking feeling in his stomach that this had all been a joke. That he would soon be dragged back into the dungeons, screaming for Attolia, for Eugenides, for Teleus. </p><p>“That’s ridiculous,” Teleus said, “you know you are important to Attolia.” </p><p>“Am I?” There was a long pause. </p><p>“I do care about you,” Teleus said, and cleared his throat. He traced a pattern in the wood table top and sighed heavily. “But I can’t do this if you don’t care about yourself.” </p><p>Relius thought about the first time he had met Teleus, an okloi soldier promoted to Captain, impassive and unhumorous. He thought about all the firsts after that. The first time he had made Teleus laugh. The first time they had kissed. When Teleus had given him a copied love poem that had taken him more effort to source than he would admit to Relius, a shy smile on his face. </p><p>“It’s hard,” Relius whispered. </p><p>“I know.” </p><p>Relius picked up the candle and strode across the room to stand in front of Teleus. It had grown much darker by now, and the candle’s flame flickered in the chilly breeze from the opened window, casting shadows across the captain’s face. </p><p>“I should have said something before. I just want you to be okay, Relius. Is it too late for that?” Teleus asked with a sigh older than his years. Relius considered him, awash in the gentle light of the small flame. Teleus looked at Relius with years worth of longing in his eyes. He stretched his hand toward Relius, who bent down. His hand landed softly on Relius’ cheek. His chest ached.</p><p>“It is never too late, dear Teleus,” Relius whispered, before blowing out the candle.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please leave comments I'm desperate for human interaction</p></blockquote></div></div>
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